Thoughts on Traffic Noise and Garden Colors

Sometimes, when I sit here in the morning (or any other time of day) with the window open, all I hear is traffic: trucks rumbling by, cars, motorcycles. If I somehow tune into those sounds, the noise of it all becomes overwhelming. It’s enough to make me want to scream.

But how is it that at other times I’m not even aware of those sounds? Same amount of traffic; but I’m able to tune out all of that noise. I’m barely aware of it. I suppose it’s all in the level of concentration on whatever task is at hand. I didn’t sleep so well last night, so this morning I’m tired and a bit edgy. It’s harder to concentrate. So, it follows that I am hyper aware of all the traffic noise.

But if at some point today I am able to become completely engrossed in a book, all of that sound will fade away.

I’m looking forward to it.

Just one of things I contemplate during the course of a day.

Zinnia buds are little works of art.

Walking by the big garden bed is such a pleasure these days because the scent from the phlox is so heavenly. Don tells me that when he lets Scout out late at night, the scent from those flowers fills the night air. We’ve determined that the white phlox has a stronger scent than the purple and pink volunteers that have sprung up in the bed.

Though I have to say that the purple phlox is quite lovely.

I looked around my gardens the other day and I’ve come to the conclusion that there is very little red in my garden. I like red, in fact, there is quite a bit of it in my house, but I’m not so crazy about it in the garden. The bee balm is red, of course, and some of the first roses that bloom are red. Though, to be honest, those roses were yellow when I bought them. I wanted yellow roses. And I got them for a few years but since they were grafted, the red blooms eventually emerged. I’m not so crazy about that deep red.

Truly the most predominate color in the garden is purple in all its shades and variations, with white coming in a close second. There are pops of orange and yellow and pink here and there. But purple and lavender are the winners.

If you have a garden, do you find yourself continually drawn to a certain color? What about when you buy flowers for a bouquet?

Comments

One of the biggest reasons we`re moving out to the country now is the noise that we hear from the highway has become a racetrack for drivers. So loud, even in the quiet of night! It`s progress and it`s great to have a nice road to drive into the city but the noise is silly. We stood out on our land yesterday and soaked in the quiet peacefulness of just the sound of the trees moving in the breeze. Can`t wait to live in peace!!

We also live in the country, but on a county road that has become busier and busier over the past 9 years. Our elderly neighbor tells me that many years ago he could sit in the middle of the road and there would be no traffic. Hard to believe!

Blues, purples, and whites have always been my favorites and are the backbone of my gardens. We have been in this house nearly 40 years and in the last few years I have been introducing shades of yellow and we have enjoyed the contrast it brings. Heading out for a morning walk now. Enjoy your day!

We are lucky not to have too much traffic noise. Occasionally motorcycles (some folks in the next block have bikes)…the worst is our neighbor’s son’s dirt bike which he rides up and down the street and around his yard. Loud, smoky and obnoxious (just my personal opinion). Road noise is funny though. When staying at my grandmother’s house in Vermont, I would love to sleep in the north bedroom (smallest room in the house) and hear the occasional car go by. It was a different kind of sound than we hear at home. I discovered when I stayed at my friend’s place in Chesapeake City, MD (she lives on the 2nd floor), traffic sounds just like VT! And I love it. Garden colors: we have all – red, pink, white, yellow, blue, orange. I love the variety. But, when I pick some or buy some flowers I tend to go for one shade.

We’ve in a neighborhood about three miles from town. There is only one way in and out so we have only the noise from the neighbors. Our lane is a dead end with only four houses. I really notice the noise when I am away from home.
I like white and pink in the garden. Same when I buy flowers……..except for sunflowers. I got some beauties at the farmers market Saturday.
Enjoy that book.

I do have a garden, as you know, Claudia, It’s a bit of a hodgepodge of things: lilies of various colours, pink hollyhocks, daisies, phlox, yellow and orange nasturtiums, a few roses, coreopsis, coneflowers . . .

Your garden is lovely and your phlox is doing great. I lost all of my white David Phlox which smelled heavenly, and now have just pinks, and various shades of purple. I also have no reds, and only use soft yellows. My garden was once on a town garden tour, and a visitor asked if my husband minded that I had created such a feminine garden because I had no reds, oranges or dark yellows (the daylillies were not in bloom yet). I never thought of a garden in terms of masculine or feminine because of flower color – oh well, I love my garden all the same – and so does my husband!!!

I’m sorry you lost your white David phlox. Mine seems to be hanging in there. I don’t think of a garden as masculine or feminine either – maybe something more drought tolerant: cacti, succulents, etc., might be thought of as more masculine?

We live in a subdivision in the northern part of the city. We are surrounded by marshland. We get the occassional delivery truck, noisy car or motorcycle. And, we do hear occassional airplanes. But, we get the most noise at night from Mother Nature! It can be hard to get to sleep! I guess it’s just a matter of getting used to it…and our tolerance level. With the low cloud level today…any noise is amplified. Even the cranes are sounding like giant terradactiles that squawk! ;)

Our daughter has recently returned home from living for over a year in Mumbai, India. The quiet on our street amazed her for weeks. From a city of over 20 million to our little town of about 4,000 was a bit of a shock to a few of her senses!!
I noticed this year that yellow & orange seem to be predominant colors in our gardens. I have a lot of coreopsis, black-eyed susans, lantana and marigolds. Also, my day-lilies are/were yellowish-orange colored. Almost all of the cosmos I planted this year seem to be orange. I now have Japanese lanterns turning orange, too. Lots of the zinnias are orange to “beige” and some red. The next color seems to be purples in phlox, coneflowers, salvia & bee balm. I agree w/ the person who said the cardinals (and robins!)add to the landscape colors, also…. even if just for fleeting moments throughout the day. Orioles did their job earlier this summer. It is a plethora of color, for sure.
I am dreading the white landscape which is sadly ahead of us. When I was walking through Michael’s the other day I thought of buying a bunch of silk flowers and “planting” them all throughout the snow cover once it arrives. Wouldn’t that be fun to look out the window in January & February and see bright colored “flowers” *blooming* in the snow…….. :-)

Working in floral wholesale, it’s amazing how many hundreds of types of flowers are available in pinks, whites, and purples, but so very few in true red. Your phlox is lovely, and it is a very popular flower for wedding work. We get Coneflower in the late summer, but normally just the orangey centers, as the petals don’t hold up well. You’d be surprised how pretty the centers look in a bouquet!

My parents and grandparents were fans of red. My parents loved red roses. My grandparents grew heirloom red canna lilies that were 6′ tall. However, the plants I notice the most in that small town are the wild phlox scattered everywhere in overgrown spots.

When we first moved into our home 22 years ago the sound of the traffic passing seemed awfully loud which is odd because before we lived very close to a rail road track. But now I barely notice the noise of the traffic. My husband is deaf in one ear so he has the t.v. So loud sometimes it drives me up the wall. I can’t concentrate on a crossword or read if the t.v. Is too loud.

My small garden is a mixture of colors, but heavy on yellow right now because there are quite a few black-eyed Susans. I also have some yellow roses and yellow sundrops (done for this year). I am always drawn to pink flowers. I live in a suburb and wish greatly that I lived in the city. It is SO boring out here! We can hear traffic in the background from a larger street a block away. I want to hear traffic, voices, sirens, garbage trucks, etc. (Maybe not motor bike right outside my window constantly.) I grew up in the city on the edge of a suburb. My sister used to live on a busy street in Albany, NY but up on the second floor. I loved to be out on her front porch right above the traffic and people walking down the street and talking. When my husband and I first married, we had a train go by less than a block away several times per night. I only woke up the first night. If I couldn’t live in a downtown area of a city, I would like to live on a busy street in a small town. Unfortunately, my husband grew up in a suburb just like the one we live in, and he likes it. :( PS I would like to container garden only on a patio. We have 1/3 acre of grass. :(

I understand about the traffic noise and how when you get engrossed in something it fades into the background. I love pinks in my garden. This week Ashleigh has added a few more flowers to her yard in hanging baskets and a potted plant and all were in purples! She loves purple and I always look for those when buying her a bouquet. Sara loves daisies so I look for those for her. Funny how we all have our preferences!

We are very fortunate to hear very little outside noise once we close the doors. We live in a busy subdivision very close to a major thoroughfare , but the house is well insulated, thank goodness. I would prefer to leave windows open, but the summer heat prevents that. Several years ago, we moved from the downtown historic area of a small picturesque typical Texas town, complete with a noisy train that rolled through at all hours of the day and night. Some of the drivers were kind and only honked the horn briefly, but one gentleman would hold the horn the entire time he went from one end of the county to the other. Being awakened by his horn blasts at 2 a.m. was enough to cause all the residents to champion for a “no blow” zone. After a few sessions of talks back and forth between residents and the railroad officials our area was granted the gift of silence. The train actually became a source of enjoyment after the continual horn blowing was eliminated :-) But now whenever we consider a new place to take up residence, one of our first observations is are there train tracks around-ha

I once had an entirely white garden and we gathered many hours of delight from it. In the cool of the evening, it was heavenly to sit out and inhale the perfume of all the white flowers, almost to the point of being intoxicated! We learned all white flowers tend to increase their fragrance after the sun goes down. And the various insects attracted at night is amazing as well. I had everything from nicotiana to moonflowers planted. I would strongly suggest if anyone is considering going for an entirely white garden, take the plunge. You will not regret it!

Where I live we don’t really have traffic noise to contend with, although I can sympathize as I grew up in a house on a road which was the direct connection between two towns. The sound I can’t deal with are TV commercials. The older I get, the more annoying I find them – especially ads for car dealers. Thankfully we have remotes and blessed silence is just a click away. I’m waiting for TVs to have an option that automatically mutes commercials the moment they start. And all I have to do is scan my “gardening” board on Pinterest to know that I apparently have very definite color preferences. Every imaginable shade of purple, blue and pink [anemones, hyacinths, climbing roses, crocuses, lilacs, bearded irises, delphiniums, columbine, dianthus, sweet peas, phlox, hydrangeas]. Plus lots of white and a smattering of yellow [daffodils, tulips]. I do have a little red and orange in the roses [especially one particularly dazzling miniature rose in a copper-orange called “Denver’s Dream”]. And of course the vegetable garden is a good mixture of colors [even little yellow heirloom tomatoes].

Where I live there are no street sounds. Living a mile off the highway and 450 feet off the road the noise would have to be quite loud for it to reach me. When I am in the city I like the sound of the traffic, but I am glad I don’t have to listen to it all the time.
My garden has mostly pink and orange. I just purchased some coneflowers, and purposely looked for colors other than the purple. I found yellow and orange. I have nothing against the purple flowers I just wanted something a bit different.
My favorite flower is the carnation. I prefer it in white, but florists like this one for the ease of changing it’s color. So. I take what I can get.

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband and dog. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating. My decorating style is eclectic but if I had to call it anything, I'd call it Christmas in Connecticut, after all those forties movies with comfy cottage style.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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